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Survey: Outdated Tech Makes It Harder To Level Up
Today, more than half of Americans use technology to fuel hobbies like illustration, photo editing, or gaming. Outdated tech shouldn’t keep us from our passions, but our new survey reveals 40% of people have postponed or abandoned their personal projects due to technical limitations.
Our new data from over 1,200 U.S. adults shows how outdated technology can create unnecessary barriers, especially for lower-income Americans. With so many hobbies fueled by tech, inspiration should never die just because of a computer glitch.
Key takeaways
- 58% of Americans use technology at home for personal projects and activities.
- Gaming, in particular, is very popular with Gen Zers (people ages 18-28). Thirty-eight percent of Gen Zers use technology to play or create games at home.
- 86% of people have experienced device limitations or frustrations when working on a personal project.
- Those reporting lower incomes (i.e., under $40,000 per year) are more likely than those with higher incomes to experience issues related to old or outdated equipment. This includes lagging devices, limited storage space, and battery problems.
- Respondents reporting lower incomes are also the most likely to abandon a project due to device limitations.
More Than Half of Americans Are Using Tech To Pursue Their Passions
Today’s technology makes it easier, faster, and more affordable to pursue hobbies that once were too technical or too expensive for a layperson. Home gaming computers with the latest graphics cards and 500GB storage capacity can rival an e-sports athlete’s battlestation. Hobbyist video editors can create full-length features, thanks to 4K displays and ultra-fast SSD speed.
Today, 58% of U.S. adults use tech at home for personal projects and other activities. Our survey found that 25% of these people edit or enhance photos, making it the most popular tech-related hobby. Other common hobbies include playing and creating video games (24%), taking online courses or engaging in self-paced learning (21%), and writing or blogging (18%).
Today, home technology can function as an all-in-one creative studio. People are tackling more than one hobby at a time on the same device, from gaming and multimedia editing to coding. Modern home technology should keep up with our endless drive to learn, create, and grow. That means we need high-performance devices that are versatile enough to handle multiple demanding tasks at once.
Gen Z Sets the Bar With Gaming and Learning at Double the Rate
Unlike older generations, many Gen Zers grew up with access to smartphones, modern game consoles, and high-speed internet. That may be why 77% of Gen Zers use technology for their hobbies, far outpacing older generations, even millennials:
- Gen Zers (ages 18-28): 77%
- Millennials (ages 29-44): 65%
- Gen Xers (ages 45-60): 52%
- Baby boomers (ages 61-79): 45%
That’s partially fueled by their love of video games: 38% of Gen Zers use technology to play or make video games, more than even the 30% of millennials. Gen Zers are also more likely than other generations to use tech for editing photos, writing, and taking online courses.
For young adults, technology and creativity often go hand in hand. Whether they’re watching a tutorial on their phone or learning how to use AI from their kitchen table, they often use everyday devices as tools for self-expression and continuous learning.
As technology continues to advance, Gen Zers won’t be the last generation to integrate it into their lives. The way younger people use their technology today could predict what future generations will expect from their devices. And when their tech doesn’t work as expected, it can interrupt learning, slow progress, or stall creative momentum. This is an issue many creators are already running into.
86% of Creators Are Hitting Walls From Flawed Tech
Our imaginations are endless. Our tech isn’t. Devices—especially older devices—often struggle to keep up with the demands of sophisticated gaming, editing, and art programs. The majority (86%) of people who use tech at home for personal projects run into device limitations and frustration.
Some may be struggling because they’re trying to do complex tasks on a mobile device that isn’t equipped for it. Three-quarters (75%) of people rely on mobile devices like laptops, tablets, or smartphones for their hobbies. Nearly 2 in 5 people (39%) experience lag issues when using tech for their hobbies, 36% struggle with limited storage space, and 28% face battery or charging problems.
Gen Zers know this pain: 50% say limited storage space commonly gets in the way of their personal projects. This may be because Gen Zers report playing more video games than other generations, and many modern games take up an astonishing amount of memory. This often exceeds 100GB.
If you try to run a AAA game on a 10-year–old laptop without enough memory, your game may run slowly or glitch. To play that game, you probably need a specialized gaming desktop or laptop with ultra-high definition displays, modern graphics cards, and plenty of RAM.
These tech limitations can have real consequences: 40% of people have abandoned at least one of their personal projects or activities because their tech couldn’t keep up.
Across generations, millennials and Gen Zers are the most likely to postpone or abandon a project due to device limitations. This goes beyond simply rage-quitting a video game. For those working on a passion project or creative side hustle, this can cause them to give up their dream entirely.
Half of Lower-Income Americans Abandon Projects After Tech Problems
We found that 50% of low-income Americans (defined here as those making less than $40,000 per year) have postponed or abandoned a project because they were frustrated with their device. Compare that to 37% of people making between $40,000 and $79,999 a year, and only 36% of people making $80,000 or more.
The problem may be that the latest hardware is out of reach for people in lower-income brackets. We can infer this based on the specific problems they experience.
When we examine the people frustrated with the devices they use for their hobbies, 43% of lower-income people say they most often have issues with slow processing or lag, compared to 38% of those who make at least $80,000 per year. Lower-income people are also more likely to delay projects due to battery life or charging issues, which are telltale signs of aging devices.
Unleash your creativity with HP
Finding devices that meet your needs and your budget can be tricky. But no matter what you want to create, HP makes it easier than ever to find affordable, yet high-performance devices.
Sometimes, that means checking out surprisingly powerful entry-level tech. For example, Chromebooks can come with more than 8GB of RAM, 1080p cameras, and AI compatibility. Additionally, creators can explore laptop subscriptions, which provide premium performance (complete with live support) for a fraction of the cost of a new computer.
You already have the imagination and drive to make new things. HP can give you the boost to help bring your creations to life.
Methodology
The survey of 1,285 U.S. adults was conducted via YouGov Audience for HP on November 17-18, 2025. Data is weighted and the margin of error is approximately +/-3% for the overall sample with a 95% confidence level.
